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THE 

RESCUE SYNDICATE 





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ALTEMUS’ MAGIC WAND SERIES 

1 

THE 

RESCUE SYNDICATE 

BY 

TUDOR JENKS 


With Illustrations by JOHN R. NEILL 



PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY 


OCT 0 1906 
i«wrtftto«ry 

~H^f¥,f9os 

aKMS CL XXo. 14a. 
/ 3 / f ^2^ i 

, oePY« 



Altemus’ Illustrated 


MAGIC WAND SERIES 

By TUDOR JENKS 


The Magic Wand 
Romero and Julietta 
A Magician for One Day 
The Prince and the Dragons 
Timothy’s Magical Afternoon 
The Rescue Syndicate 


Copyright f 1905y by Henry Altemus 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER I 

Page 

The Bargain Made 

. . 15 

CHAPTER II 


The Campaign Begun . . . 

. . 35 

CHAPTER III 


The Combat 

. . 57 

CHAPTER IV 


In the Office Building . . . 

. . 75 

CHAPTER V 


The Princess Rescued . . . 

. . 93 





« 



I 


) 


u 


I 

ft 

^ I ' * 



/ 

p 








The Rescue Syndicate 


9 



ILLUSTRATIONS 


Frontispiece Page 

“Whistling and playing upon a 

guitar’* 17 

“ ‘ Allow me to give you my 

card’” 21 

“ ‘ Let me see the proclamation’” 27 

“Nicknamed ‘Little Bessie’”. 39 
“ Placed himself in a posture of 

defence” 41 

“.Advancing at a terrific speed ” . 45 
“Mumbo Jumbo jabbed itgently” 49 
“ She was entirely helpless ” . . 56 

“A tall pillar a few feet in thick- 
ness” 65 

“ A large green dragon, lined with 

pink” 69 

“ The edge split open and spilled 

the Prince” 74 

“ Caught him ‘ on the fly ’ ” . . 77 

Illus- 

trations 


The Rescue Syndicate 


Page 

“ Following the small boy ” 81 

‘‘The Prince entered the recep- 
tion room” 83 

“The superintendent smiled 

blandly ” . . 85 

“ A tiny spark of electric fire ” . 87 

“ Supporting the Princess be- 
tween them ” .... 92 

“This argument impressed the 

King” 95 

“ Placed upon the desk two large 

diamonds” 97 

“The Prince dived beneath the 

surface” 103 

“ Chained to the wall by a golden 

cable” 107 

“The logical ending of the mat- 
ter” 109 


Illus- 

trations 


The Rescue Syndicate 


1 1 





1 





THE BARGAIN MADE 



OiQSQo 



The Rescue Syndicate 


5 


The Rider 


CHAPTER I 

THE BARGAIN MADE 


UT of a dark 
forest there 
rode a hand- 
some young 
man mount- 
ed upon a 
fine white 
horse. The trappings of the 
charger were of scarlet leather 
trimmed with gold, the young 
rider was dressed in dark 
green velvet, and wore a fine 
white plume in his cap. He 
looked every inch a Prince, 
and that was not queer, since 
he was a Prince, and one of 
the finest quality. He rode 
slowly, the bridle resting upon 



A Prince 


i6 

The Rescue 

At Cross- 
roads 

the horse’s neck, and he seemed 
sad. 

When he came to a crossing 
of the roads he dismounted, 
leaving the steed at liberty to 
graze. Drawing from his pocket 
a folded paper he opened it, 
and began to read to himself. 

While the Prince was reading 
there came along the road an- 
other horseman, but this rider 
was in a different mood. He 
was cheerfully whistling and » 
playing upon a guitar ; and his 
horse— a spotted gray— trotted 
briskly to his master’s music. 

So deeply was the Prince in- 
terested in the paper he held 
that he did not raise his eyes 
from it until the jolly stranger 
was almost in front of him, and 
even then the Prince only 

A Jolly 
Stranger 

> 


Syndicate 


17 


bowed and would have said 
nothing if the stranger had 
chosen to ride on. 

But the newcomer seemed 



to be a sociable fellow, for he 
stopped in the middle of his 
tune, halted, and sat himself 
down not far from the Prince, 


A 

Greeting 


6— B. 


A Friend 


i8 


The Rescue 


They Talk who, if annoyed, was far too 
well bred to show dissatisfac- 
tion. 

“ Pleasant evening we’re hav- 
ing,” said the second rider, as 
the Prince hastily folded up 
the paper he had been reading 
and put it into his pocket. 

“Eh?— I beg pardon,” said 
the Prince, in some confusion. 
“I did not hear what you said. 
I was busy, and so I — ” 

“Nothing of any conse- 
quence,” was the laughing re- 
ply. “ I only spoke about the 
weather. It isn’t surprising 
that you didn’t hear me. One 
doesn’t have an opportunity to 
win the hand of a beautiful 
Princess every day in the 
week ! ” 

The Prince looked surprised 


A Guess 


Syndicate 


19 


and blushed a little. Then he 
put his hand on the pocket 
where he had hidden the paper 
he had been reading. 

“I wish,” the stranger went 
on, “ that there were more Prin- 
cesses to win. Times are rather 
dull just now. I have seen 
business much livelier.” 

“ I didn’t know it,” the Prince 
answered, “ I have heard noth- 
ing about business.” 

“How should you?” said 
the other. “ It is all the same 
to you Princes. May be you 
have a few less gold coins to 
spend, a smaller number of 
diamond-buttons, but the mean- 
ing of hard times is a sealed 
book to you. We poor busi- 
ness men could tell a different 
story.” 


Hits the 
Mark 


Hard 

Times 


20 


The Rescue 


An 

Inquiry 


“ You are in business then ?” 
asked the Prince politely, but 
without any real interest, for 
businesses seldom interested 
him. 

“Allow me to give you my 
card,” was the reply. Taking 
a neatly printed card from a 
morocco case, he handed it to 
his young companion, with a 
graceful bow and a flourish. 

The Prince accepted it and 
glanced at it carelessly. Then 
he read it again with interest. 
His eye brightened and he be- 
came animated at once. 

“This is surprising!” ex- 
claimed the Prince. “ I had no 
idea there was such a company. 
And yet, why shouldn’t there 
be? It must surely be a great 
blessing. I don’t mind saying 


A Blessing 


Syndicate 


21 


to you that I should like to know 
more of this enterprise.” 

“Youshall,” said the stranger, 
laughing at the Prince’s eager- 



ness. “ Naturally, when I saw 
you reading the proclamation I 
knew you were a possible cus- 
tomer. I hope you will excuse 


Curiosity 


A 

Customer 


22 

The Rescue 

Another 

Surprise 

my thrusting myself upon you. 
But there are so many in the 
business — ” 

“You surprise me,” re- 
marked the Prince. 

“ I don’t mean other com- 
panies,” the other went on, 
“ but fairy godmothers, o 1 d 
witches, wizards, and various 
magical folk. Now, we don’t 
deal in magic at all. We are 
compelled now and then to call 
to our aid people in that line of 
business, but only as assist- 
ants.” 

\ 

“ I should be glad if you 
could tell me a little about your 
company,” said the Prince. 

“ With pleasure. As you see 
from my card, I represent the 
Princes’ Aid Society and Prin- 
cesses’ Rescue Association. 


He Offers 
a Card 


Syndicate 


23 


We have everything necessary 
in carrying out our chosen 
work. We attack castles, out- 
wit witches, overcome giants, 
undo enchantments, dispose of 
wicked rivals, and, in short, for 
a fee that is very moderate con- 
sidering the work we do, we 
promise good young Princes to 
reward them with the hand of 
rescued Princesses ; or we un- 
dertake to restore the same un- 
happy beings to their fathers 
and mothers.” 

“ And how about this present 
proclamation?” inquired the 
Prince, drawing it from his 
pocket. 

“To be entirely frank with 
you,” said the stranger, “ I was 
on my way to the King, hoping 
to get the contract for rescuing 


Well 

Equipped 


A Frank. 
Reply 


24 


The Rescue 


Open to daughter. But business is 

Offers business. We are perfectly 
fair, and if you are willing to 
pay our prices we should be 
equally willing to work for you 
— in which case we would, of 
course, see that the hand of the 
Princess, and any other reward 
offered, went to you. Of course 
you are a Prince, and are 
worthy to win the hand of this 
young lady— the Princess Ari- 
etta.” 

“ I hope I am worthy of her, 
for I have long dreamed of the 
happy day when we should be 
married. I am Prince Pros- 
pero,” the Prince replied. 

“ Delighted to hear it,” said 
the other. “ We are well aware 
of your bravery in saving the 
life of—” 


'A Hero 


Syndicate 


25 


“A trifling adventure,” the 
Prince interrupted hastily. 

“ And of your excellent rec- 
ord as a scholar,” the stranger 
went on. “ We shall be proud 
of aiding your suit for the hand 
of the beautiful Princess. You 
will be well matched.” 

“ I thank you for your kindly 
feeling,” the Prince said ; “but 
let us proceed to the matter in 
hand. It may be that I shall 
not be able to secure your 
services. What must I do in 
return?” 

“We render our bill when 
the service is performed ; or, if 
you prefer, you may pay in ad- 
vance.” 

“ What are your terms ? ” 

“ Let me see the proclama- 
tion.” 


Very 

Modest 


Terms 

Reasonable 


26 


The Rescue 


A Hard 
Case 


The Prince handed over the 
paper, and the representative 
of the association studied it 
very carefully. Then he said : 
“ A rather difficult case I must 
admit. You see, our charges 
depend upon the work to be 
done. If the Princess had been 
carried off by a giant the price 
would have been small. Giants 
offer few difficulties. We have 
them all put down in our books, 
and carefully arranged in alpha- 
betical order. We look over 
the list, select the likely ones, 
and send out a notice to them. 
Usually the Princess is re- 
turned, almost by the next mail. 
If not— why, we go and get 
her. We never have to threaten 
the same giant twice. 

“But this. is more trouble- 


As to 
Giants 


Syndicate 


27 


some. You see the King says 
that she has ‘ disappeared.’ So 
we have to start without any- 
thing to aid us. We have to 



find her, wherever she is, and 
then rescue her after that.” 

“ I see,’' said the Prince, with 
a sigh. 


No Clue 


Depressing 


28 

The Rescue 

Hope 

Smiles 

Again 

“But don’t be discouraged. 
We have traced and rescued 
308 Princesses, 209 Duchesses, 
18 Marchionesses, and an odd 
lot of other aristocrats,” said 
the business man, consulting 
his note-book once more; 
“ and if we are employed we 
shall certainly succeed. It 
only raises the price of our 
work.” 

“ How much do you think it 
will cost?” the Prince asked 
uneasily. 

“I should say about thirty- 
three and a third per cent, of 
the money-reward offered by 
the King.” 

“I never studied percent- 
age,” the Prince admitted, with 
a look of scorn. 

“You surprise me! But no 

Not Good 
at Figures 



Syndicate 


29 


matter. It is one-third. Does 
that seem large? ” 

“ Oh, no,” said the Prince ; 
and at the same time he put his 
hand into his pocket and drew 
out a diamond that was as big 
as a robin’s egg. “ I will pay 
you that in advance,” he went 
on, waving his hand with a 
lordly air. 

“Now I know you are a 
Prince,” the stranger said. 
“ But there is no need of any 
fee in advance. If you are 
satisfied with our terms we will 
conclude the bargain.” 

“I am quite satisfied,” was 
the Prince’s reply. “ Now let 
us get to work at once. I should 
like to assist you so far as I am 
able.” 

“ Certainly ; we shall be glad 


A Big 
Gem 


To Work! 


30 


The Rescue Syndicate 


Forward ! 


of your presence, and perhaps 
of your advice. Mount your 
horse, and we will go at once 
to the main office.’’ 



I 



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THE CAMPAIGN BEGUN 






The Rescue Syndicate 


35 


They 
Set Out 


CHAPTER II 

THE CAMPAIGN BEGUN 

O longer de- 
pressed , 
the Prince 
mounted in 
haste and 
rode away 
with his 
new friend. “My name,” said 
his companion, “is Car do 
Indexa, and I am manager of 
the business. In fact, I am the 
inventor of it. Until lately I 
have been doing well, but the 
business has not prospered re- 
cently. To tell you the truth, 
we have made the carrying off 
of Princesses so unprofitable 
that we have rather interfered 



Bad 

Business 


36 


The Rescue 


Some 

Figures 


with our own profits. Let me 
see, it has been ” — here he drew 
from his pocket a little diary, 
and consulted its pages— “more 
than six months since any other 
Princess has met with the 
slightest misfortune. I don’t 
think that our rates are too high, 
but certainly Kings and Queens 
are becoming absurdly careful 
of their offspring. I say it in 
confidence, but times have been 
so dull that last spring we dis- 
charged an office-boy, a genii, 
and a witch merely to save ex- 
pense.” 

During these confidences 
Prince Prospero paid very little 
attention to what his companion 
was saying. He had constantly 
before his mind’s eye the image 
of the beautiful Princess Ari- 


A LoveFs 
Dream 


Syndicate 


37 


etta, and had no interest in 
such trivial matters as the busi- 
ness arrangements of The Res- 
cue Syndicate. 

It was, perhaps, fortunate that 
the Prince was not too absorbed 
in his companion’s conversa- 
tion, for as his eyes wandered 
over the landscape he suddenly 
became aware of a large body 
advancing toward them over 
the vast plain that now stretched 
out before them. He directed 
the attention of his companion 
to this strange object. At once 
Cardo Indexa showed consid- 
erable interest. Taking from 
its case at his side a powerful 
pair of field-glasses, he closely 
examined the object the Prince 
had pointed out. Then, lower- 
ing the glasses, he turned to the 


Some- 
thing 
Coming I 


What is it? 


38 


The Rescue 


A 

Giantess 


Prince and said, as if it were 
the most ordinary matter in the 
world, “ It is a very fortunate 
thing that I had these long-dis- 
tance glasses with me, for now 
we shall have time to prepare 
for a meeting that otherwise 
might have been exceedingly 
disagreeable. This object that 
is coming toward us at a rate of 
speed you would consider al- 
most incredible is no other than 
the celebrated giantess. Little 
Bessie.” 

“ But why,” the Prince in- 
quired naturally enough, 
“ should a giantess go by such 
a name as ‘ Little Bessie ? ’ ” 

“ Because,” answered Cardo 
Indexa, “her mother, Enor- 
mous Elizabeth, was at least 
four times her daughter’s size. 


Another 

Bigger 


Syndicate 


39 


and naturally, in order to dis- 
tinguish them the daughter was 
nicknamed Little Bessie. 

“ Her mother was rather a 



kindly and benevolent giantess. 
I have often known her to be 
sent for to lay suspension- 
bridges, and to do other pieces 


A 

Nickname 


Useful 

Work 


40 

The Rescue 

She 

Comes 

Near 

of heavy work, but Little Bessie 
is of a far different disposi- 
tion.” 

During this leisurely talk of 
the business man the Prince 
saw that no preparations were 
made for their safety, and at 
length, when the giantess had 
come near enough for the 
Prince to see that she carried 
a sort of cane forty feet long, 
he ventured to inquire whether 
there was not some danger in 
allowing this fierce giantess to 
approach so near. At the same 
time, he assured his new friend 
that despite the peril he would 
protect him until the last. 

As he said this. Prince Pros- 
pero set his teeth firmly to- 
gether, made his belt several 
holes tighter, flung his richly 

Ready for 
the Fray 



Syndicate 


41 


embroidered cloak upon the 
ground, drew his flashing sword 
and placed himself in a posture 
of defence. 



Cardo Indexa did not seem 
at all alarmed, but assured the 
Prince that everything would 
be attended to at the proper 
time. 


Swords 

Out! 


Keep Cool 


42 


The Rescue 


Not 

Business- 

like 


He tried to conceal his amuse- 
ment at the Prince’s martial at- 
titude as he said: “You need 
not make any preparations for 
entering upon a mortal combat 
with Little Bessie. I am sorry 
to say, with all due respect to 
the valorous powers of Prince 
Prospero, that Little Bessie 
would make but a mouthful of 
half a dozen such Princes as 
yourself. Besides, it would 
never do to treat her in so un- 
businesslike a way. Other 
giants might hear of it and be 
greatly encouraged. My dear 
Prince, you must remember 
that we no longer live in the 
Middle Ages. We adopt busi- 
ness methods in dealing with 
such creatures as these.” 

So saying he reined up his 


Modern 

Methods 


Syndicate 


43 


horse, dismounted, and took 
from his saddle-bags a pair of 
creepers. Adjusting these, he 
climbed a pole a few rods from 
where they stood, and drawing 
from his pocket a small tele- 
phone instrument, adjusted it 
to the wires. 

The Prince was too far away 
to hear much of the conversa- 
tion, but he was not long left 
in ignorance of what use Cardo 
Indexa had made of the tele- 
phone, for in a very few minutes 
the Prince’s attention was di- 
rected to the road behind him 
by a regular series of snortings 
that grew louder and louder 
momentarily. 

Fearing that, in addition to 
the giantess in front of them, 
they had now to reckon with a 


Sending 
for Aid 


Another 

Surprise 


44 


The Rescue 


What fierce dragon who was attempt- 

it Was ing to attack them from the rear, 
the Prince begged Indexa to 
lend him his big field-glasses. 
When these were adjusted to 
his eyes the Prince soon discov- 
ered the cause of the sound 
that had excited his curiosity. 

Advancing toward them at a 
terrific speed came a motor- 
cycle, upon which was mounted 
a quaint little old man with 
snow-white hair and flowing 
beard. 

Before the Prince had time 
to inquire who the newcomer 
might be the cycle had snorted 
itself to a pause just beside 
them, and the old gentleman 
had clambered with some diffi- 
culty to the ground. As he 
bowed, first to Cardo Indexa 


The Cyclist 


Syndicate 


45 


and then to the Prince, the little 
old gentleman politely apolo- 
gized for what he considered 
his delay. 



“When your message came,” 
said he, “ I was just around the 
block from my office at lunch- 
eon, and although I had given 


A 

Polite 

Assistant 


His Excuse 



46 


The Rescue 


Whafs 

the 

Trouble ? 


orders that my motor-cycle was 
never to be interfered with, 
some officious servant had 
amused himself by putting it 
away. This delayed me, and I 
was uneasy lest I might be too 
late. What’s the trouble? I 
suppose it’s Little Bessie again, 
for I understand she has been 
seen wandering about here dur- 
ing the last few days.” 

Cardo Indexa nodded his 
head, seeming to think that no 
further explanation was neces- 
sary. He wasted no words 
upon the new arrival, but turn- 
ing to the Prince, explained 
briefly that this was one of their 
magician assistants, and that if 
the Prince would like to sit down 
to lunch for a few moments he 
might at the same time get some 


Luncheon 


Syndicate 


47 


idea of their methods of dealing 
with the creatures who used to 
give so much trouble in the old 
days before The Rescue Syn- 
dicate was organized. 

“I thank you,” said the 
Prince. “ I cannot deny that 
my appetite is exceedingly 
good ” — here he paused and 
blushed a deep red— “but I 
must confess that I was so eager 
to hasten to the assistance of 
the Princess Arietta that I have 
made no provision for pro- 
visions, and therefore have no 
lunch to offer you.” 

Again Cardo Indexa with 
difficulty concealed a smile, 
and turning to the old magician, 
who was respectfully awaiting 
orders in the background, said 
quietly, “Be kind enough, 


The New 
Way 


The Order 


48 

The Rescue 

Some 

French^ 

Etc, 

Mumbo Jumbo, to serve a 
luncheon for Prince Prospero 
and myself— something a little 
recherche^ al fresco y and then 
— auf wiedersehen.'^ 


Mumbo Jumbo bowed as if 
this were the most ordinary of 
commissions, and stepping to 
the side of his motor-cycle, 
drew from the frame his ebony 
magic wand. With the wand 
he marked out a circle in the 
sand, and then jabbed it gently, 
first in one part of the circle 
and then in another. With 
each jab of the wand appeared 
in the place so marked a dainty 
dish, either smoking hot or icy 
cold, as was necessary to make 
a delicious lunch. 

Now, all this was not at all 
remarkable, but it was a very 


How Easy ! 


Syndicate 


49 


Strange fact that when t h e 
luncheon was served Prince 
Prospero saw that it consisted 
entirely of his favorite dishes. 



As the magician, seeing that 
everything was arranged to his 
taste, turned away to attend to 
the approaching giantess, who 


6— D. 


A Wonder 


Now the 
Giantess 


50 

The Rescue 

Close at 
Hand 

was now so near that her 
shadow fell across the place 
where Cardo Indexa and the 
Prince were about to eat lunch 
(protecting them from the sun 
in a very agreeable way), the 
Prince could not help asking 
how it was possible to serve 
him precisely the very dishes 
he most enjoyed. 

Cardo Indexa smiled politely 
and reminded the Prince that 
the methods of his Association 
were remarkably complete. 
“We make it our business,” 
said he, “ to acquaint ourselves 
with the tastes and dispositions 
of all the Princes and Prin- 
cesses with whom we have to 
deal. It is very important to 
us to know who are their 
friends, how they pass their 

Very 

Prudent 



Syndicate 


51 


time, what games they play, 
what localities they most fre- 
quent, and even the nature of 
their tastes. There are just so 
many Princes and Princesses 
in the world, and we have care- 
fully tabulated, indexed, and 
filed away all possible informa- 
tion about them. You will find 
when we come to search for 
the Princess Arietta that this 
information may be of the 
greatest value in learning where 
she is.” 

So saying, he waved his hand 
toward the inviting lunch- 
table, and politely awaiting his 
turn, saw that the Prince was 
comfortably seated just behind 
t h e excellently browned 
chicken-pie. Then, while 
lunching at his ease. Prince 


Full 

Informa- 

tion 


Chicken 

Pie 


52 


The Rescue Syndicate 


The 

Enter- 

tainment 


Prospero was able to view the 
encounter between Mum bo 
Jumbo and Little Bessie. 




N 


t 


^ ' 





t 


U 


THE COMBAT 




A 



The Rescue Syndicate 


57 


Divided 

Attention 


CHAPTER III 
THE COMBAT 

T is true that it 
was difficult 
for the Prince 
to give his un- 
* divided atten- 
tion either to 
the combat 
between the giantess and the 
magician or to the fascinating 
dishes of the luncheon provided 
for him by the Rescue Associa- 
tion. He saw the meeting be- 
tween these two strange beings, 
but every now and then his 
eyes would wander from them 
to the dainties set before him. 
Besides, the conversation be- 
tween them was not at all intel- 



Giant or 
Lunch ? 


58 


The Rescue 


One- 

Sided 

Talk 


ligible, since the Prince and his 
companion could hear only one 
side of it. The words of the 
magician were quite inaudible, 
and hearingthose of the giantess 
only, made the conversation 
seem like one conducted over 
a telephone. The dialogue, if 
we may call it so, sounded to 
them something like this : 

“ I don’t see why I haven’t as 
much right here as any one.” 
. . . “You needn’t think 
you can bully me, even if I am 
a giantess.” . . . “Can’t I 
take a walk of a few hundred 
miles withoutyottr coming both- 
ering me?” . . . “I didn’t 
mean to hurt them.” . . . 
“ Well, you can’t help stepping 
on insects now and then, and 
it’s the same with me.” . . . 


What She 
Said 


Syndicate 


59 


“Well, suppose I don’t?” 
. . . “ I would like to see 
you try it ! ” 

At this moment the Prince 
happened to help himself to an- 
other saucerful of ice cream, 
and when he again looked up 
he saw that Little Bessie had 
whirled her great cane in the 
air, apparently with the inten- 
tion of smashing the little magi- 
cian. 

The Prince sprang to his feet 
as he saw the great weapon rise 
in the air, but Cardo Indexa 
begged he would not be alarmed 
and induced him to resume his 
lunch. And, indeed, there was 
no reason for anxiety. When 
the giantess had whirled the 
cane up toward the sky it was 
suddenly transformed from a 


Trouble ! 


No Danger 


6o 


The Rescue 


A Balloon long branch of a mighty tree into 
a large red balloon, with which 
she could have done no damage 
even if it had not immediately 
carried her up into the air. 

After it had ascended high 
enough to lift her well clear of 
the ground she was entirely 
helpless, and her anger made 
her only ridiculous. She could 
not come near the magician, she 
did not dare let go of the bal- 
loon, and it was not many min- 
utes before she was begging to 
be let down and promising to 
be “ a good girl ” if the magi- 
cian would undo his charm. 

Meanwhile the little magician 
had been sitting cross-legged on 
the sand before her, entirely 
undisturbed by her loud voice 
and her threatenings. Upon 


Quite Cool 


Syndicate 


6i 


her promise to be a good girl, 
he nodded his head gracefully, 
waved his wand in air, and 
must have undone the charm ; 
for the giantess came drifting 
gently down to solid earth, 
though the balloon was not re- 
stored to its former shape. On 
the contrary, when she released 
it, it was carried away by the 
wind, drifted over the distant 
mountains, and was seen no 
more. In the same direction, 
though on foot, went the peni- 
tent giantess, seeming to be 
completely cured, for the pres- 
ent at least, of her naughti- 
ness. 

When the magician came 
back to Cardo Indexa and the 
Prince they very cordially in- 
vited him to share their lunch- 


Lets Her 
Down 


A Guest 


62 


The Rescue 


Business 


Giants" 

Promises 


eon, but he excused himself on 
the plea that he had an imme- 
diate engagement with the sea- 
serpent, and, mounting his mo- 
tor-cycle, puff-puffed away in 
the opposite direction from that 
taken by Little Bessie. 

The Prince was very much 
surprised at the ease with which 
the threatening giantess had 
been disposed of, and as he fin- 
ished the tiny cup of coffee 
with which the luncheon ended 
he asked Cardo Indexa how 
they could rely upon the word 
of so wicked a creature as the 
giantess was said to be. 

“ Do the giants,” asked the 
Prince, “ as a rule, keep their 
promises in such a case as 
this?” 

“As a rule,” replied the agent 


Syndicate 


63 


for the Rescue Syndicate, “ we 
find that we may absolutely rely 
upon them — not because they 
would not like to break their 
word, but because they fear the 
punishment that would follow. 
The last instance that I remem- 
ber of the punishment of a giant 
was that of Bulky Bradford. 
He was living on the cattle of 
one of our clients. He agreed 
that he would not eat more than 
thirty oxen in one day, and 
broke his word. Consequently, 
we had to punish him. We 
sent him to the North Pole, 
where he will be for the next 
three years engaged as a swim- 
ming-master to the young 
whales. As the water is very 
cold, and the young whales are 
very inattentive, you will ac- 


An 

Instance 


Cold 

Comfort 


64 


The Rescue 


To the 
Office 

knowledge that this punishment 
is severe enough. 

“But come,” said Cardo In- 
dexa, rising quickly, “let us 
make our visit to the headquar- 
ters of the Association.” 

The Prince rose and followed 
him, looking uneasily at the 
lunch still lying upon the 
ground. Cardo Indexa assured 
him he need not trouble him- 
self, that these things would all 
disappear of themselves within 
a few minutes after their de- 
parture. And, indeed, the 
Prince noticed upon looking 
back while they were mounting 
their horses that the ice cream, 
of which there had been a most 
generous supply, was floating 
away in a blue vapor. 

A brisk ride of half an hour 

It Floats 
Away 



Syndicate 


65 


brought them to a narrow pass 
through the rocks that led to 
the offices of The Rescue Syn- 
dicate, and another quarter of 



Their 

Ride 


an hour’s ride up a steep path 
brought them in sight of the 
building itself. 

It was certainly a most extra- 


And 

Arrival 


66 


The Rescue 


A Queer ordinary structure. Rising 
Building from the ground, to which it 
was firmly attached by immense 
steel bolts, was a tall pillar only 
a few feet in thickness and ex- 
tended to maybe some thousand 
feet in the air. Upon the top of 
this pillar was a vast structure 
containing the offices of the As- 
sociation. The whole thing re- 
sembled in shape a great palm 
tree, the pillar being the trunk 
and the building on top repre- 
senting the foliage. 

Naturally surprised at the 
strange aspect of the building, 
the Prince asked for an expla- 
nation. Stepping to the pillar, 
Cardo Indexa touched an elec- 
tric button, and then exclaimed : 

“While we are waiting for 
the elevators I shall have a mo- 


The 

Elevator 


Syndicate 


67 


ment or two to explain to you 
why this peculiar shape has 
been chosen for our headquar- 
ters. You are aware that our 
work wins for us the enmity of 
every sort of mischief-making 
creature. If our building was 
placed upon the ground it might 
be exposed to constant attack 
on the part of the griffins, chi- 
maeras, dragons, and hippo- 
griffs, to say nothing of the 
dinosaurs, iguanodons, plesio- 
sauruses, and other beasts — ” 

“Why, I thought all those 
beasts were extinct,” exclaimed 
the Prince. 

“But, my dear Prospero,” 
said Cardo Indexa, “ it would 
never do for us in our business 
to consider anything extinct. 
You must be aware that the 


For 

Safety 


Not 

Extinct 


68 


The Rescue 


Wizards wicked enchanters have a habit 
of buying the very latest books 
on geology, on paleontology, 
archaeology—” 

Here the Prince began to get 
decidedly uneasy, as he had 
graduated from college not long 
before, and particularly dis- 
liked all the long words ending 
in ology. But Cardo Indexa 
added only a few more, and 
then went on, “ for the pur- 
pose of bringing to life again all 
the big, ugly, spiked, sc^ly and 
speckled creatures they can im- 
agine. Indeed, in the old days 
when, as a boy, I first entered 
the employment of the Syn- 
dicate, it was hard for us to 
sleep at night, owing to the 
numbers of these creatures 
that besieged every opening. 


Noisy 

Nights 


Syndicate 


69 


Now, we are far above their 
efforts.” 

“But,” said Prince Pros- 
pero, “ what is to prevent the 



Waiting 


sorcerers from bringing against 
you all the extinct creatures of 
the air — the pterodactyls or 
toothed birds, and so on ? ” 


Forebodings 


70 


The Rescue Syndicate 


Caution 


Cardo Indexa looked round 
uneasily, exclaiming, “Hush! 
To tell the truth, no one of 
them has ever thought of that 
yet. I hope sincerely that no 
one of them has heard your 
careless remark. If they should 
do so we should have to invent 
some gigantic sort of netting in 
the nature of a mosquito-bar of 
stupendous size.” 

At this moment their conver- 
sation was interrupted by the 
arrival of the “elevators,” 
which, to the surprise of the 
Prince, consisted of a large 
green dragon, lined with pink, 
and a square Persian flying 
carpet. Waving his hand hos- 
pitably toward these, Cardo 
gave Prospero his choice. 


Courtesy 



» 





IN THE OFFICE BUILDING 



Q9QO 






The Rescue Syndicate 


75 


His 

Choice 


CHAPTER IV 

IN THE OFFICE BUILDING 

WING to his 
exertions 
and haste in 
coming down 
from the of- 
fice building, 
t h e dragon 
was breathing out great masses 
of flame, and we must not think 
Prince Prospero cowardly if he 
preferred to ascend by means 
of the flying carpet. He took 
his place cautiously about the 
centre, and Cardo stood be- 
side him. Then, at the words, 
“ Presto, upward I ” the carpet 
rose gently in the air, floating 
in the shape of a bowl. 



Upward 


76 


The Rescue 


Quite Old 


Quick 

Action 


The Prince had not noticed 
when he took this means of 
conveyance that the carpet was 
somewhat antiquated. Indeed, 
it was one that had been in use 
ever since the Arabian Nights 
times, and was very much the 
worse for wear. Not having 
warning of its frail texture, the 
Prince unfortunately leaned to 
look over the edge, and in a 
moment some of the threads 
gave way, the edge split open 
and spilled Prince Prospero 
out. 

As they had already risen 
over three hundred feet, the 
consequences might have been 
serious if it had not happened 
that the watchful dragon flying 
just below thrust himself be- 
neath the falling Prince and 


Syndicate 


77 


caught him “on the fly” as 
successfully as might have been 
done by a professional left- 
fielder. 



Nor did the cleverness of 
the dragon end here, for in his 
curiosity to ascertain the fate 
of the falling Prince, Cardo In- 


Success 


Cleverness 


78 


The Rescue 


A Double 
Play 


dexa had leaned over the other 
side of the carpet with equal 
recklessness, overbalancing it, 
and being tipped out. But the 
dragon, who had kept one of 
his pink eyes fixed upon the 
carpet, was undisturbed by the 
second accident and looked 
upon it only as a chance to 
make a “double play.” He 
caught the second passenger as 
cleverly as the first, and conse- 
quently the two companions 
completed their journey upon 
the dragon, quite as if the magic 
carpet had never existed. 

Cardo Indexa was inclined 
to grumble over the accident, 
because he had not long before 
given instructions that the car- 
pet should be repaired. But 
his words were cut short by 


Forgotten 

Orders 


Syndicate 


79 


their arrival at the door of the 
office building. 

The Prince, grateful for the 
dragon’s watchfulness, over- 
came his timidity far enough to 
pet the great creature upon the 
head, and was beginning to say, 
“ That’s a good — ” when Cardo 
interrupted him, hastily saying 
in a low tone — “ Don’t call him 
good. Call him a bad dragon, 
that’s the way to please him ! ” 
and at the same time he stroked 
the green creature across the 
nose, with the flattering words, 
“That’s a nice — nasty, ugly, 
disagreeable old dragon, so it 
is I ” Carrying the same prin- 
ciple still further, Indexa sent 
a small boy in buttons who 
now came to the door for a 
vinegar bottle, which he gave 


A Mistake 


The Way 
to Do It 


8o 


The Rescue 


Funny to the dragon precisely as one 
Practice treats a favorite horse to a lump 
of sugar. 

“You mustn’t forget,” said 
he to the Prince, “that dragons 
are very different from other 
creatures, and to be called good 
is the most deadly insult one 
can offer these green monsters. 
In fact, the only way in which 
we can make use of them at all 
is by convincing them that they 
ire committing some mischief, 
when in reality they are doing 
quite the contrary.” 

“ Excuse me,” said Cardo as 
they entered a large hall on the 
ground floor, “ but if you will 
follow the buttons I will join 
you in a few moments. I wish 
to speak to the superintendent.” 

Following the small boy, the 


A Short 
Wait 


Syndicate 


8i 


Prince was ushered into a room 
where sat a young lady type- 
writer with red hair. Bowing 
with courtly grace, the Prince 



announced himself, for the 
small boy had scuttled away. 
“I,” said he, “am Prince Pros- 
pero, and I—” 


Not 

Unusual 


6— F. 


His Title 


82 


The Rescue 


Very Busy “ Prince Prospero ? ” said 
the young lady briskly without 
looking up— “ Princes’ Recep- 
tion Room, third door on the 
right,” and then returned to 
her work without paying him 
the slightest attention. 

As the Prince entered the 
reception room to which he 
had been directed he was im- 
pressed by the excellent taste 
shown in its furnishing. In 
every way it was as well ap- 
pointed as if it had been an 
apartment in his own palace. 
There were even a set of old 
pictures so like ancestral por- 
traits that they made the Prince 
feel at home at once. 

To amuse the Princes while 
waiting, many forms of enter- 
tainment had been provided. 


Why Not? 


Syndicate 


83 


A list of these hung upon the 
wall, each preceded by direc- 
tions to touch a certain electric 
button in order to be provided 



with a certain form of enter- 
tainment. Thus, there were 
moving pictures, fountains of 
perfume, phonographic enter- 


Thought- 

ful 


Variety 




84 


The Rescue 


Profusion 


tainment of all sorts, and an 
endless list of penny-in-the-slot 
machines, with the valuable im- 
provement that each contained 
a tray filled with pennies for 
the use of the Princes. 

The Prince was just about to 
make a choice of some interest- 
ing feature from this program 
when the door opened and an 
attendant invited Prospero to 
an interview with the general 
superintendent. 

Following his guide, Pros- 
pero soon found himself seated 
before a man at a desk, a black- 
haired, bushy-eyebrowed gen- 
tleman who seemed in as much 
haste as a tugboat. Prince 
Prospero was about to state his 
business when this superin- 
tendent took from a pigeonhole 


The 

Interview 


Syndicate 


85 


of his desk a little card upon 
which were noted all the points 
necessary in regard to the mat- 



ter of the missing Princess 
Arietta. 

Seeing Prosperous look of 
amazement, the superintendent 
smiled blandly, and told him 


In 

Readiness 


A Surprise 


86 

The Rescue 

Prompt- 

ness 

that Cardo Indexa had already 
been busied in getting together 
the material necessary for the 
prosecution of the search. 
“ Consequently,” the superin- 
tendent went on, “ I have asked 
you here simply that you may 
have some idea of the complete- 
ness of our methods.” 

Immediately he began pull- 
ing out little knobs, pushing in 
little handles, turning index 
needles, and ringing signal- 
bells. Then, sitting back in his 
chair, he waited patiently for a 
moment or two with his eyes 
fixed upon a round dial in the 
front of the upper part of his 
desk. As the Prince looked at 
the point where the superin- 
tendent’s eyes were fixed, he 
saw a little map of the world 


What the 
Prince Said 


Syndicate ^7 


form itself upon the white sur- Some- 
face of the dial, and at one thing New 
point of the map a tiny spark 
of electric fire was seen. The 



superintendent leaned forward 
so as to fix the exact location 
of this little mark, and then an- 
nounced that the Princess Ari- 

An 

Announce- 

ment 


88 


The Rescue 


Located etta was, according to the best 
of their information, somewhere 
off the western coast of Japan. 

“This,” remarked the Prince, 
“ is certainly most surprising.” 

“ Not at all,” said the super- 
intendent. “I simply sent a 
message of inquiry to all our 
branch offices and received an 
answer from the only one pos- 
sessing any information.” 

“But how,” asked the Prince, 
“ could they have known where 
the missing Princess was ? ” 
The superintendent again 
smiled. “Ah,” said he, “that 
shows the beauty of our sys- 
tem. We would not be able to 
find Princes and Princesses 
when we want them if we did 
not keep always informed as to 
their whereabouts. We have a 


The Beauty 
of It 


Syndicate 


89 


large number of spies whose 
business it is to follow these 
young royalties whenever they 
leave their homes. These spies 
constantly report each to his 
office. In that way we can al- 
ways trace a missing Princess 
when wanted.” 

“Ah, I see,” said Prince 
Prospero, wondering if all his 
life he had been followed about 
in this way, and deciding that 
probably he had been, since 
otherwise it was difficult to see 
how the agent of The Rescue 
Syndicate had come upon him 
just at the right moment. 

“ Now,” said the superin- 
tendent, “ I will ask for a report 
about the Princess, and mean- 
time you and I can go and ar- 
range terms with the King, her 
father.” 


No 

Difficulty 


Meantime 




THE PRINCESS RESCUED 

! 


I 



The Rescue Syndicate 


93 


Again the 
Dragon 


CHAPTER V 

THE PRINCESS RESCUED 

AKING his 
hat from a 
golden peg, 
the superin- 
tendent I e d 
the Prince to 
a projecting 
balcony, whistled for the drag- 
on, who, as he flew to the bal- 
cony, recognized Prince Pros- 
pero with a friendly wink, and 
in a moment or two more the 
sagacious beast was carrying 
them at lightning speed to the 
dominions of Arietta’s father. 

Evidently, Arietta’s royal 
father was familiar with the 
methods of The Rescue Syndi- 
cate, and, to tell the truth, Ari- 



Not New 
to Him 


94 


The Rescue 


No Delay etta had been carried off sev- 
eral times before and rescued 
by this same company. There- 
fore, the King did not detain 
the superintendent in the ante- 
room, but admitted him at once 
to a conference. 

The King, with a frown, de- 
clared that he did not mean to 
pay so much as last time. The 
superintendent, while very po- 
lite and respectful, was equally 
firm. He thought that a quar- 
ter of the kingdom was the very 
lowest price The Rescue Syn- 
dicate could accept. He pointed 
out that Prince Prospero was a 
most desirable young scion of 
royalty, and that the King ought 
to be very glad to get such a 
son-in-law at all. He also re- 
minded the King that if Arietta 


None 

Better 


Syndicate 


95 


should marry Prince Prospero, 
all future rewards would be 
paid by the young man himself, 
and consequently this was the 



last time Arietta would have to 
be ransomed by her father. 

This argument impressed the 
King very favorably, and upon 


The 

Argument 


Is 

Convincing 



96 


The Rescue 


Bargain 

Settled 


The 

Statement 


the superintendent’s offering to 
accept four-twentieths instead 
of five-twentieths of the king- 
dom, the bargain was at once 
settled. Then, without waiting 
to partake of the refreshments 
which the King offered them, 
the Prince was once more 
shown to a comfortable seat 
upon the dragon’s back and he 
andthesuperintendent returned 
by the Bee Line Route to the 
company’s office. 

Here from a very business- 
like young clerk they received 
a neatly typewritten document 
explaining that Arietta was held 
for ransom by a Japanese sor- 
cerer in a submarine grotto 
about thirty fathoms below the 
surface of the water. 

The superintendent nodded 


Syndicate 


97 


his head approvingly as he Unusual? 
read the report, and then in- 
quired whether the sorcerer 
had adopted any unusual meth- 



ods of guarding his captive. 
The young clerk seemed con- 
fused and admitted that he 
didn’t know as to this. The 
superintendent shook his head 


6— G. 


All Wrong 


98 


The Rescue 


Jn 

Payment 


reprovingly and sent the 
abashed young man to find out. 

While the clerk was absent 
Prince Prospero, who had not 
relished playing second fiddle 
during the arrangement of de- 
tails, declared that he was now 
quite satisfied with the work of 
the Syndicate. He placed upon 
the desk of the superintendent 
two large diamonds that he hap- 
pened to have in his trousers’ 
pocket, and declared that hav- 
ing learned the whereabouts of 
the missing Princess he himself 
would now assume the main 
work of her rescue. 

The superintendent seemed a 
little provoked at this and 
looked at the Prince in silence 
as he tapped with a pencil upon 
his mahogany desL But be- 


Sizing 
Him Up 


Syndicate 


99 


fore he made any reply the 
clerk returned to report that the 
grotto where Princess Arietta 
was confined was under the 
guardianship of great shoals of 
sharks. 

The superintendent without 
saying anything dismissed the 
young man with a nod, and 
after he was gone spoke thus to 
Prospero : “ I might,” said he, 
“insist that you had put this 
work into our hands, but it is 
not our custom to be hard on 
our clients. If you wish to see 
what you can do you are quite 
at liberty to dive through thirty 
fathomsr of salt water, fighting 
off a hundred man-eating 
sharks with your dagger, and 
holding your breath for from 
thirty minutes to an hour and 

LOFC. 


Well 

Guarded 


Some 

Details 


lOO 


The Rescue 


Harder 

Yet 


a half; then you must over- 
come one of the most skilful of 
Japanese enchanters. We 
shall not try to discourage you. 
Princes have a way of accom- 
plishing impossibilities, but I 
will say only that if you suc- 
ceed in this attempt I shall be 
very glad if you would write 
me fully about it.” 

So saying, he turned away 
and busied himself with his 
writing. 

The Prince was quite undis- 
couraged, but hastened to ex- 
plain that the superintendent 
had not quite understood him. 
“ I shall be glad,” said he, “of 
the aid of the Association and 
shall take your representatives 
with me. I mean, however, to 
display some little valor in the 


A Clever 
Plan 


Syndicate 


lOI 


matter so that Princess Arietta, 
when rescued, shall recognize 
that it is due partly to my ef- 
forts and not entirely to the ad- 
mirable business-like methods 
of your Association.” 

This compliment restored the 
superintendent’s good nature 
and he arranged in a short con- 
sultation with the Prince the 
details of their expedition. 

Into these it is not necessary 
to enter fully. Suffice it to say 
that within a week or ten days 
an admirably equipped airship 
was hovering off the western 
coast of Japan, a few feet above 
the waves that ebbed and 
flowed above the lovely golden 
head of Arietta in the sorcerer’s 
cave. There was a group of 
human beings on the prow of 


Diplo- 

macy 


The 

Airship 


102 


The Rescue 


Ready ! this craft, and they were gazing 
with perhaps more amusement 
than admiration at the manly 
figure and exquisite bathing- 
suit of Prince Prospero as he 
stood ready to plunge beneath 
the sea. 

The moment came. The 
Prince leaped gracefully 
through the air, dived beneath 
the surface of the waves, and 
was immediately engaged in a 
superb struggle with twenty- 
five large sharks who scrambled 
eagerly for the privilege of 
securing one of his arms or 
legs as a souvenir. Exactly 
how many of the sharks he slew 
is not recorded— it may have 
been six or it may have been 
eight— but his breath soon gave 
out, as there is a limit to the 


In Doubt 


Syndicate 


103 


power of even a Prince’s lungs. 

Coming to the top of the 
water, the Prince barely es- 
caped from the pursuing sharks 



to be drawn exhausted upon 
the deck of the airship. This 
trial was enough to convince 
him that it would be more pru- 


Fool- 

hardy 

Prince 


One Trial 
Enough 


104 


The Rescue 


Quite upon the efforts of 

Proper Syndicate, and while he 

was being carefully packed in 
warm blankets and restored by 
draughts of hot tea, the Syndi- 
cate was authorized to proceed 
with the rescue. 

By the time the Prince was 
sufficiently recovered to wit- 
ness the proceedings of the 
Syndicate, everything was pro- 
gressing in good order. The 
valorous employes of the com- 
pany had busied themselves 
with dumping overboard hun- 
dreds and hundreds of pounds 
of fat pork, and before an hour 
had passed away each partic- 
ular shark had had so much 
pork to eat that he was entirely 
incapable of offering any re- 
sistance to the agent of the 
company. 


Gorged 


Syndicate 


105 


Attired in an ugly but effec- 
tive diving-suit, old Mum bo 
Jumbo was then lowered over 
the side of the airship, sank 
gracefully downward, and dis- 
appeared from view. 

A half hour of suspense fol- 
lowed, and then came several 
tugs upon the signal rope. Car- 
do Indexa, who was standing 
by the Prince, turned to him, 
announcing that this signal 
meant that all was going well, 
and Prince Prospero must put 
on the diving-suit prepared for 
him in order that he might join 
Mumbo Jumbo in the sorcer- 
er’s cave. 

Before many minutes the 
Prince, attired in the hideous 
diving armor, prepared to make 
his first appearance before the 


Mumbo 

Jumbo 

Again 


Now the 
Prince 


io6 


The Rescue 


In the 
Depths 


Natural 

Query 


lovely Arietta. Lowered into 
the sea as Mumbo Jumbo had 
been, he sank slowly down and 
found himself in a beautiful 
grotto dimly lighted by a phos- 
phorescent glow. In one cor- 
ner of the grotto, chained to the 
wall by a heavy golden cable, 
was the old Japanese sorcerer. 
Arietta, before a mirror made of 
some bright marine substance, 
— pearl, perhaps,— was putting 
on her hat for the voyage home. 

Mumbo Jumbo, leaning upon 
his wand, hurriedly explained 
by signs to the Prince that he 
had released Arietta from the 
same chains which now held 
her captor. The Prince by a 
few hurried gestures, pointing 
to the Princess, inquired how it 
was possible to bring her up to 


Syndicate 


107 


the surface of the sea. Mumbo 
Jumbo explained that the Prin- 
cess was under an enchantment 
which gave her the power for a 



short time to live in the water 
as the sorcerer himself was ac- 
customed to do. Consequently 
there was no reason why they 


The 

Reason 


Explained 


io8 

The Rescue 

All 

Together! 

should not at once take her 
lovely hands and raise her to 
the surface of the sea. 

Mumbo Jumbo as he spoke 
pulled the rope to signal that 
they were ready to be drawn 
up, and supporting the Prin- 
cess between them they glided 
gently upward through the soft 
green Japanese sea. 

Eager hands were ready to 
bring them aboard the airship, 
and within an hour after Mum- 
bo Jumbo’s undertaking the 
descent to the grotto Prince 
Prospero and the beautiful 
Princess Arietta, seated under 
a silken awning in the prow of 
the airship, were being carried 
through the upper air toward 
her father’s kingdom. 

When they arrived,the King’s 


On the 
Way 


Syndicate 


109 


joy in the recovery of his beau- 
tiful daughter was so great that 
he gladly paid the promised re- 



ward and devoted himself with 
the greatest delight to the prep- 
arations for the brilliant wed- 
ding that shortly afterwards 


Reward 

Paid 


All Goes 
Well 


no 


The Rescue Syndicate 


At Last united his daughter to Prince 
Prospero, the noblest Prince 
ever assisted by The Rescue 
Syndicate. 



OCT 9 1906 
























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iki 


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